Shaft-holder for harness.



No. 896,470. v I vPATENTED AUG. 18, 1908, W. T. SEBBEE. SHAPTHOLDER FOR HARNESS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV.15, 1907.

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UNITED STATES PATENT orrion WYATT T. SEBREE, OF GARROLLTON, KENTUO KY, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO LOUIS THOMA, OF OARROLLION, KENTUCKY.

SHAFT-HOLDER FOR HARNESS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 18, 1908.

Application filed November 15, 1907. Serial No. 402,327.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVYATT T. SEBREE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Carrollton, in the county of Carroll and State of Kentucky, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Shaft-Holders for Harness; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

This invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in automatic safety vehicle shaft holding attachments for harnesses, designed to afford means whereby the vehicle shaft may be easily and quickly connected or detached from the harness.

The invention is designed especially as an improvement upon the shaft holder attachment for harnesses described in my Patent No. 843,041, issued February 5, 1907, and it has for its object the provision of a simple, durable and efficient shaft holder of the character referred to.

To these ends and to such others as the invention may pertain, the same consists in the novel construction and in the peculiar combination, arrangement and adaptation of parts, all as will be hereinafter more fully described and then specifically defined in the appended claims.

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which, with the letters of reference marked thereon, form a part of this specification and in which drawings Figure 1 is a side elevation of a harness saddle with my improved shaft holder ap plied thereto. Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional View. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the thill engaging means, the strip to which the same is fastened being shown in section, and Fig. 4 is a sectional view on line 4-4 of Fi 2.

Iieference now being had to the details of the drawings by letter, A designates the saddle of a harness and B a back strap to which the device is attached.

C designates a metallic strip, a cross section ofwhich is shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings as being U-shaped in cross section with the longitudinal edges thereof bent in opposite directions, forming two flanges C. DD

designate screws adapted to fasten a buckle E to said strip, as shown clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawings, said buckle being adapted to be held in adjusted position upon the strap B in the manner shown. The lower end of the strip C is curved in semi-circular form, as at C and has a spring dog F fastened at its inner end by means of screws F, while its free end F bent in hook form is adapted to form a catch to engage a complemental semi-cylindrical member G, thus making a complete circular ring to receive a thill of a vehicle. Said dog F is provided with a button K projecting through an aperture in the section C affording means whereby the dog F may be thrown out of engagement with a catch or hook N which is fixed to the inner surface of the complemental section G, as shown clearly in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

The section G, it will be noted, is fastened to or integral with a sliding part Q, shown in I section in Fig. 2 and in side elevation in Fig. 3. Said section, as will be noted by Fig. 4 of the drawings, has its opposite edges bent to form flanges Q, forming a guideway in which the flanges C of the strip 0 are adapted to slide. The upper end of the part Q is bent laterally, as at Q, and adapted to form a closure over the-top of the strip C to prevent foreign matter, rain, etc. from entering therein.

L designates a spring which is fastened at L to the strip C and its lower end is fastened at R to the part Q, the purpose of said spring being to normally cause the complemental section G of the thill engaging ring to withdraw from engagement with the section C when the two sections are released by disengaging the hooks or dogs F and N, the spring being under tension when the parts assume the position shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings.

S S designate arms which project from the opposite edges of the part Q and are con nected together by means of a cross piece S for engagement with a strap T, to which the belly band of the harness is adapted to be fastened.

In order to protect parts of the device which frictionally engage the thill, I provide a lining to the two sections C and G and designated by letter W, shown clearly in Fig. 3 of the drawings and, in Fig. 2, I have shown a protecting strip I of leather or other suitable fabric fastened to the outer surface of the sliding part Q.

The operation of my invention will be readily understood and is as follows :VVhen it isdesired to hitch a horse which is harnessed with my attachment to a buggy, the two sections C and G being open, the thill is placed within the section C and by applying pressure to the part G it may be pushed down under tension of the spring L to the pos tion shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, the two hooks F and N interlocking and holding the parts in these positions. When it is desired to release the thill or shaft, it may be done by the operator pushing in upon the button K which will cause the hooks F and N to disengage and the spring L will withdraw the section G, allowing the thill to be readily re= moved from the lower section.

By the provision of an apparatus of this nature, it will be noted that a horse may be readily attached to or detached from a vehicle without the necessity of backing the horse so that the thills may pass through the thill straps in the usual and ordinary way as at present. In the accidents, the horse may be readily detached from the shaft or thill.

WVhat I claim is 1. Ashaft holder attachment for harnesses, comprising a casing adapted to be fastened to the saddle of a harness, the lower end of said casing being bent into a semi-circular section, a spring dog mounted within said curved portion, a slide mounted upon said casing, the lower portion of the slide having a semi-circular section, a catch mounted therein and adapted to engage said spring dog, a spring mounted within said casing and adapted to separate said semi-circular sec tions when the dog is released from said catch, as set forth.

2. A shaft holder attachment for harnesses, comprising a casing, the lower portion of which is curved into a semi-circular section, a spring dog mounted within said curved portion, a slide mounted over the flanged edges of said casing, the lower portion of said slide having a semi-circular section, a catch upon the latter adapted to encasing and its other end to saidslide and adapted to normally hold the two curved sections thereof separated when the latter are released, as set forth.

3. A shaft holder attachment for harnesses, comprising a casing adapted to be attached to the saddle of a harness, said'casing having its opposite edges outwardly bent and at its lower end turned into a semi-circular extension, a spring dog mounted in the curved end of the casing, a slide having its opposite edges bent over the flanges of said casing, slide, a catch therein adapted to engage said dog, a spring fastened at one end to the upper end of the casing and its other end to said slide, the upper end of the slide extending over the casing and forming a closure thereto, as set forth.

4. A shaft holder attachment for harness,

' comprising a casing adapted to be attached to the saddle of a harness, said casing having its opposite edges outwardly bent and at its lower end turned into a semi-circular extension, a spring dog mounted in the curved end of the casing, a slide having its opposite edges bent over the flanges of said casing, a semi-circular extension upon said slide, a

catch therein adapted to engage said dog, a

spring fastened at one end to the upper end of the casing and its other end to said slide, the upper end of the slide extending over the casing and forming a closure thereto, and arms projecting from said slide and to which a strap is adapted to be fastened, as set forth. In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

, WYATT T. SEBREE.

Witnesses L. S. Rmeo, H. SHUERMAN, Jr.

a semi-circular extension upon said 

